AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Howdy, Ms. Davis. I'll be your Uber driver for the evening. You look pretty as a peach in that red dress!"
I chuckled. "Thank you kindly, Hank. You sure do have a way with words."
As the ride began, I lost myself in the easy ramblings of Hank's thick drawl and the sights I saw on the way.
Old oak trees blurred into a bouquet of brown, green, and yellow draped in a soft evening wind and Spanish moss.
Every brick building here had something that tied it to the remnants of life from the Civil War era.
I leaned back and sighed. "I don't think I'll ever be able to live anywhere else but the South."
Hank cleared his throat. "Well, speakin' of living here. A few years ago, I was driving this very car when all of a sudden, I hit a pothole so deep it swallowed my tire. I was stuck there on the side of the road, wondering what to do. That's when a bunch of good ol' boys in a pickup truck pulled up beside me and asked if I needed help. And you know what they did? They pulled out a rope, tied it around the car, and yanked me outta that pothole like it was nothin'!"
"Only in the South, right?"
Hank grinned. "You got that right, Miss Juniper. We may have our share of potholes, but we sure do know how to help each other out."
Before I knew it, the easy ride brought me to the drop-off leading up to the main door of the Montgomery mansion.
The pathway was lined with lights and an abundance of heady flowers. I followed a trail of guests to the door.
A tall, silver-haired figure stood at the threshold.
He looked like a direct import from England. Like he'd been flown in after a long-standing decade of serving the Queen herself.
"Name, please?"
"Ha!"
Why did I say that? Why was I so awkward? I wished the marble floors would just swallow me whole.
"I mean ..." I fumbled, trying not to let his hawk-like eyes pierce through me. "I'm Juniper. Juniper Davis."
He took a minute to go over the names on the list he held in his hands. A very agonizing minute.
Maybe this was some joke Harold had played on me?
I nearly turned and pulled a Cinderella before he spoke again, his tone cold as day-old turkey right outta the freezer.
"Welcome to the Riviera party, Ms. Davis. You may go through to the salon."
"Thanks, you too."
Before I could give him the chance to throw me out for the stupidest comeback ever, I ran into the salon.
I was immediately bombarded by an onslaught of people in clothes worth more than my year's salary.
On any other day, I'd curse myself for being a social anomaly, but right now, I was absolutely blown away by the opulence of the interior.
The entire salon could have swallowed my apartment, with ceilings so high they could go on forever. Tall windows, rich, warm walls, and ornate moldings were everywhere.
I meandered through the room, but not before I overheard a conversation between two guests.
"My dear, it comes as no surprise that Mr. Montgomery has spared no expense for this evening's affair."
"I hear he's preparing to make a rather momentous announcement. No doubt, an attempt to conceal the origins of his vast wealth."
"Truly, the Montgomery family has a dubious reputation in certain circles. There are whispers of thievery and deceit."
